


ladies and libraries

by boom_goes_the_canon



Series: escapades of a young medical student [4]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Canon Era, F/M, Fluff, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Libraries, M/M, Mentioned Joly, Multi, literary discussions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:08:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27758152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boom_goes_the_canon/pseuds/boom_goes_the_canon
Summary: From this excerpt of The Gentleman and Lady's Book of Politeness and Propriety of Deportment, Dedicated to the Youth of Both Sexes:“A lady ought not to present herself alone in a library, or a museum, unless she goes there to study or work as an artist.”
Relationships: Bossuet Laigle/Musichetta, Joly/Bossuet Laigle, Joly/Musichetta, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: escapades of a young medical student [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1963519
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	ladies and libraries

Musichetta is in trouble.

Musichetta is often in trouble, so the situation doesn’t come as a shock. She’s always in trouble with her mother, who was a veritable harbinger of gossip and wrote her droning, obnoxious letters begging her to turn from her sinful lifestyle. She’s currently in trouble with her editor, who has demanded a sequel to one of her racier works and not received one for the last couple of months. And lastly, she’s about to be in trouble with the library security, who didn’t take very kindly to young women poking their noses about in search of good literature.

Alas, Musichetta thinks as she dodges through the rows of shelves. If only she was in a novel. Any number of dashing young men would be charging up to rescue her, or at the very least, to offer an escort. She shall have to take matters into her own hands, then, and find herself a rescuer.

There. A balding young man with a very unfortunate coat, his hands strolling down the shelves. He isn’t Musichetta’s usual choice of target, but she can’t afford to be picky.

“Oh, thank god you’re here!” she says, for the benefit of the security. She lets her voice drop to a breathless hush. “Louis just left me alone here, the _cad_ , and went off with another man, I don’t know where, and I’m half out of my wits—not a sou in my pockets and he just leaves me to fend for myself—” she gasps for breath, sniffles a little, winks. “Oh, would you please assist me?”

To his credit, the man catches on quickly. He turns to her, smiles, and stuffs a book down his shirt. “Allow me,” he says, and he takes her politely by the arm and leads her out of the library.

“That was great,” he says as soon as they are outside. “A first-class caper with full marks for acting, mademoiselle. If you ever feel the need to be left again by a Louis or a Jean or a—a Pierre-Francois, I am at your service.”

Musichetta smiles at him. “Are you asking to see me again?”

“Only if you’re amenable. I’m Laigle, if it counts.”

“Musichetta.”

“Musichetta, Musichetta,” he says, his eyes turning to the sky. “I know that name.”

“Of course you do. I just told you.”

Laigle snorts. “No, I could swear I read that somewhere. You wrote a romance published recently! Um…um…there were doctors in it, and the hero met his sweetheart doing rounds in medical school. Pretty difficult feat given what I’ve heard of the place. It was a bit grimmer than what I usually go for but rest assured that I sobbed like a baby through the last chapters. For the life of me, I don’t remember the title, but my friends will vouch that I enjoyed it very much.” He looks at her, dismayed. “Help me.”

“…Aloysius and Belinda,” Musichetta says, taking pity on him. “My editor’s threatening to make me write a sequel, Lord help him.”

“I’m honored to be in your presence,” Laigle whispers. “I am such a fan and one of my friends claimed that he had the honor of making your acquaintance before it was even published. We don’t think he’s lying of course, but he might have been confused. We had a lot of wine that night, courtesy of one of our friends coming into a little money.”

Musichetta laughs. It’s impossible not to, with the faces Laigle is pulling. “I meet a great many people doing what I do, monsieur Laigle—”  
“Oh no, that’s too formal,” he says earnestly. “I do have a little idler’s pride, mademoiselle, and it would be most remiss of me to be monsieur-ed.”

“Laigle, then,” she says. “Perhaps you could describe him to me.”

“He’s about yea high,” Laigle says, indicating somewhere south of his shoulder. “Brown hair and freckles, very awkward, very cheerful. Carries a cane?”

“Oh, Joly!” she says, trying to hide the completely unwanted blush on her face. She doesn’t have many options, so she resorts to staring at a bird in the distance and hoping to go unnoticed. “I know him, of course; he was very helpful during my research.” And he was charming and sweet, and gushed over his advance copy like an absolute sweetheart, and Musichetta was beginning to really like him, but that is none of Laigle’s business.

“Lucky bastard,” Laigle says, with every show of affection. “He’s been pining over you for ages. I can certainly see why.”

“Has he now?” Musichetta says, absently, letting her eyes wander Laigle’s face. It’s a nice face, she thinks. “Good.” Maybe it’s something in her tone, but she could swear that Laigle deflates a little.

“Well, we did tell Joly he was mad for dreaming of it. He always was quite rational. I’m sure he’ll get over it, never fear,” Laigle says.

“Oh, I never said that he should,” she says, hotly. “Joly is an absolutely lovely person.”

“My apologies; he is.” Laigle says. “It’s just I hate to see him unhappy. He is my dearest friend.”

Joly, unhappy? Musichetta dislikes the image immensely, and she says so. Laigle is more than happy to expound at length on Joly’s good qualities, the new additions to his wardrobe, and the new ways in which he had arranged his bed in accordance with the latest theories. He clearly thinks the world of Joly, that much is certain, and Musichetta likes him all the more for that.

“He fusses over his own health, you know,” Laigle says, when Musichetta tells him of the medical school exploit. “Recently, it’s been his pulse. He insists that he has a weak valve and a light fever, but truth be told, he’s always been of a rather nervous disposition—”

“—don’t all medical students have nervous dispositions? They do work with disease.”

“And leeches. We mustn’t forget the leeches. You never know when one of them is attached to you.” Laigle speaks with the authority of a man who has experienced it before. “And they get _everywhere_. Cupboards, bedsheets, holes in your trousers, socks.”

Musichetta makes a note to feature leeches in her new sequel and lets him continue. The conversation takes them from outside the library to Musichetta’s street, where Laigle loses his last few francs to a pickpocket and the book stuffed in his shirt to the mud.

“I quite liked that book, you know,” Laigle confesses. “It wasn’t just for the purposes of deception.”

“I’m sure you’ll acquire another copy. So, will I see you again?” Musichetta says. She’s never believed in beating around the bush.

“Um, what?”

“At the library. I will need to visit there again, of course. Research.”

Laigle’s eyes are bright, and he leans, in a rather eye-catching manner, on the nearest doorframe. “For your sequel?”

“Oh yes. You know, I’ve had a new idea for Aloysius’ childhood best friend, thanks to you.” She steps closer. “Rake of a man, made quite a mess of his life, and had to be packed off to Aloysius and Belinda’s new household for a long illness.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, but since he’s a bit of a hedonist, he has rather impure intentions, you know…”

Laigle’s smile grows wider. “Oh, don’t spoil me, mademoiselle,” he says.

“…for Aloysius.”

Laigle is holding his breath. “You must tell me everything.”

“When we meet again,” Musichetta says, winking once more.

“Can’t _wait_.”

**Author's Note:**

> The story of Musichetta's meeting with Joly is [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26814745)!


End file.
